To The Land of Nevernight

Tang Shen frowned: "Brother, do you know something?"

With the current relationship between the two, Wang Qin would not hide anything from Tang Shen.When encountering some problems, Tang Shen would ask them directly, and he would no longer be as cautious and probing as before.Tang Shen thought for a while and said: "The emperor has three princes, namely the second prince, the fourth prince and the fifth prince. Last year when the envoy of the Liao Kingdom came to Beijing, the second prince Zhao Shang was ordered to receive the Liao envoy. I had the honor to meet him Several sides."

Wang Qin: "Oh, junior brother also knows the second prince?"

Tang Shen: "It's not considered to be acquaintances, but we have met a few times." After a pause, he said: "During the reception of the Liao envoy, the second prince did everything by himself, and the Liao envoy was arrogant and repeatedly targeted us. He didn't get angry, and saved the day with Meng Shangshu."

The princes of the Song Dynasty never participated in government affairs, so officials did not have the opportunity to directly contact the princes.In his four years as an official, Tang Shen only met one prince, and that was Zhao Shang.He didn't have a good impression of the prince, but the other party was down-to-earth, neither arrogant nor impatient, but not very alert, so he could only say that he had no merit or fault.

In fact, Zhao Fu's three princes are all mediocre.If they were really capable, even if they were deliberately ignored by Zhao Fu, it would be impossible for them to have no reputation in the court like they are now.

Tang Shen: "Brother, do you know something?"

Wang Qin: "I don't know anything. The establishment of a crown prince has been a big taboo in the emperor's family since ancient times. Junior brother thinks that the Holy Majesty will tell me about it?"

Tang Shen also felt that no matter how favored and trusted Wang Zifeng was, he would not be able to do so. "How does the senior brother think about this matter?"

Wang Qin said leisurely: "How do you think about it, Junior Brother?"

Wang Qin always did this, kicking the ball back to Tang Shen, and turning a corner to ask his opinion.Tang Shen rubbed the finely crushed bird food with his index finger, he followed Wang Qin's example and poured all the bird food into the trough.He clapped his hands, and said without hesitation: "If you have anything to say, brother, just say it. In my opinion, brother and I have always been the royal party. This world is still the world of the sage. Nothing to do."

Wang Qin raised his eyebrows: "I never thought that my junior brother would have such broad insights. Is it from the bottom of my heart?"

Tang Shen: "Naturally speaking from the bottom of my heart."

Wang Qin suddenly smiled, and he said meaningfully: "It turns out that junior brother is a loyal imperial party..."

Tang Shen's heart tightened, he didn't know what Wang Qin meant, did he think he was not an imperialist?Although Tang Shen came to Beijing as an official to find out the truth of the palace coup 31 years ago, and to give the dead Confucians a clean reputation.But he is indeed a royalist, and he has won the trust of Zhao Fu.

Tang Shen raised his head and looked into Wang Qin's clear eyes: "Senior brother..."

Wang Qin: "Remembering that I got a painting by Mi Fu yesterday, do you want to see it?"

"what?"

Wang Qin directly took Tang Shen's hand and led him into the study.Tang Shen was led away by him, and he didn't react for a while.When he recovered, he subconsciously looked down at the hands they were holding.Wang Qin's hands were slightly cold. It was obviously a hot summer, but his palms were like ice, which made him feel very comfortable.After the two entered the room, Wang Qin let go of Tang Shen's hand naturally. Tang Shen was a little embarrassed, and he raised his head to look at Wang Qin.

"Little brother doesn't like Mi Fu's paintings?"

Tang Shen felt a cool touch between his fingers, he said: "No, where is the painting, let me see."

Wang Qin laughed in a low voice, and the two began to appreciate the painting.

After dinner, Wang Qin sent Tang Shen away from the mansion.In the dark night, Wang Zifeng sent Tang Shen out with a bright lantern.Before leaving, Tang Shen asked: "Senior brother said today... but because of what he noticed?"

The lantern illuminated Wang Qin's chin, and around his waist was still tied the sachet that Tang Shen had given him four years ago.In the dark night, only the whistling of the wind was heard, and Wang Qin's elegant and soothing voice sounded: "Little brother, I am not a god."

"what?"

"It's all just guesswork. I think, as long as the younger brother sticks to his heart, everything will not be difficult."

Tang Shen left Shangshu Mansion with a blank face.

When he got home, he thought about it and came to a conclusion: "Perhaps Wang Zifeng really didn't get the exact news, but he guessed that Zhao Fu might take action against Chu. He asked me to stick to my heart. What is my heart?" Suddenly, Tang Shen was speechless, and he sighed with a wry smile: "My original heart? My original heart is the imperial party, and my original heart is only loyal to Zhao Fu! I said this myself in the afternoon. Tell Wang Zifeng!"

Tang Shen thought for a long time in the study, and he figured out what Wang Qin meant. At the same time, he also had some opinions of his own based on his contact with Zhao Fu these days.

Forget about this matter, Tang Shen raised his right hand and watched steadily.His fingers moved slightly, and suddenly something seemed wrong, and he clenched into a fist again.But after a while, Tang Shen called Yao San and asked him about his business in Xixialou recently.

Suddenly being called by Tang Shen to discuss business in the middle of the night, Yao San was a little confused, but he still told the truth.When he was about to leave, Tang Shen said suddenly: "Brother Yao, I recently learned how to read people's palms. You stretch out your hand, and I'll show you."

Yao San was surprised: "When will Xiaodong's family still do this?" He didn't think too much, and stretched out his right hand to Tang Shen.

Tang Shen took his hand and looked carefully.He couldn't read palmistry, so he had to fool around with a few words, "Your marriage is coming, you will live a long life, and you will be accompanied by wealth and honor all your life."Then Tang Shen held Yao San's hand calmly, and gently pulled it.Yao San didn't think there was anything wrong, and after Tang Shen let go, he saluted and left.

After Yao San left, Tang Shen looked at his palm, his eyelids twitched: "...Why are you still a little disgusted?"

How did Yao San know that he was held by Tang Shen for no reason, and instead of getting a good word from Tang Shen, he also got a disgusting evaluation.This is really unfair.

Wang Qin took Tang Shen's hand, it was just an unintentional move, but Tang Shen remembered it in his heart and couldn't forget it.He inexplicably had an idea in his mind, but then he shook his head and dismissed the absurd idea.

It's August, approaching the Queen Mother's birthday.

The Empress Dowager had just passed away, and Zhao Fu missed her dearly. This time, he didn't want to spend the Empress Dowager's birthday hastily. Instead, he wanted to hold a grand birthday for the Empress Dowager with great fanfare.Usually this kind of thing should be presided over by Meng Lang, Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites, but Zhao Fu did not hand it over to Meng Lang this year.At the beginning of August, he summoned his three princes into the palace.

The three princes often enter the palace, but they rarely enter the palace at the same time, so they still go to the Chui Gong Palace.

The three of them were confused. After entering the palace, Zhao Fu said to the three of them: "In half a month, it will be your imperial grandmother's birthday. When your imperial grandmother was alive, she loved you very much. I still remember last year's family During the banquet, the Empress Dowager personally made a bowl of soup..." Zhao Fu's voice gradually became hoarse when he said this.He closed his eyes, waited for a while, and then continued: "This year's Empress Dowager Mingshou, I entrust you with this job, can you handle it well?"

The three princes were all shocked, how dare they slack off: "I will definitely not let my father down."

Zhao Fu waved his hand: "Go down."

The three princes had their own plans in mind, and they left the Chui Gong Hall together.After they all left, Zhao Fu looked at the teacup on the table for a long time, and said softly: "Since I was young, the queen mother would wash her hands and make soup every family banquet. When I was young, the queen mother's concubine position was low, and she Every time I have to make a lot of soup. Later, the queen mother only needs to make soup for a few people. I like it, and Zhao Qiong also likes it. The first emperor just liked the virtuousness of the queen mother, and the queen mother always did everything in this matter and was kind to others."

As soon as the words fell to the ground, no one dared to answer them, even the two living officials who were in charge of recording the daily life kept their heads down, not daring to make a sound.

Zhao Fu's eyes were dazed, and he said: "The former empress was born noble, graceful and magnanimous, and extraordinary people can reach. If the empress dowager loses the reputation of virtuousness, I am afraid that the first emperor would not care about it." After being dumb for a long time, Zhao Fu murmured Muttered: "It turns out that both I and Zhao Qiong are very much like the queen mother, Zhao Sui is like the queen, he is like the queen..."

The next moment, Zhao Fu slammed the teacup on the table to the ground, making a violent shattering sound.

Ji Fu was so frightened that he jumped up, and he hurried up: "The official's hands are hurting, and this servant is going to call the imperial doctor. Come on, who poured this tea? Why is it so hot? Unsteady!" Then, Ji Fu looked up at a young eunuch, who was his godson Xie Bao.

Xie Bao's eyes on Ji Fu made him startled, and he immediately understood what his godfather meant.He immediately knelt down and cried, "It's my servant who poured the tea. This servant knows it's wrong. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

Zhao Fu was not burned, he raised his head and quietly glanced at Xie Bao who was kneeling on the ground, and said casually: "Let's put five boards on it."

Xie Bao complained in his heart, he was dragged out by the guards and beat him hard.

In the evening, Ji Fu went to the Imperial Hospital to get the best medicine for sores to see his godson.Xie Bao was lying on the bed, unable to move.Ji Fu pressed him who was about to salute, and said with a smile: "You can blame your godfather? Godfather is all for your own good. Your majesty's gaffe can be seen by ordinary people? You covered it up for your majesty today. Board, it will be of great benefit to you in the future."

Xie Bao's butt was burning with pain, obviously full of resentment, he had to apologize and said with a smile: "My son knows that godfather is for my own good."

Ji Fu put the medicine beside the bed, and he warned: "Don't think about the holy will. Our Majesty is a wise king once seen in the ages. Your small thoughts can hide from your godfather's eyes, but you can't hide from your majesty's. Today What did you hear in the vertical arch hall?"

Xie Bao rolled his eyes: "No, my son didn't listen to anything."

Ji Fu smiled.

The emperor wanted to make a big deal of the Queen Mother's birthday, and it soon spread throughout the court.Not one day later, Zhao Fu actually handed over the errand to the three princes, and it was widely known.

All the officials were shocked, and someone with a keen sense of smell wondered: "Could it be that this is a hint from the Holy Majesty that the three princes will start to participate in the government?"

Now that Tang Shen had left Qinzheng Hall, the news reached his ears, and he couldn't help but think of what Wang Qin had said to him.

Tang Shen couldn't help laughing: "You said you are not a god? This is not a god, what else can it be!"

The queen mother's birthday is approaching, and the three princes are busy.

In mid-August, when Tang Shen returned to Tanhua Mansion, Yao San reported to him that a guest had been waiting in the mansion early and had been waiting for Tang Shen all afternoon.

"My guest?" Tang Shen was quite surprised and asked Yao San to bring him along.

This is a middle-aged man in a short skirt, he was startled when he saw Tang Shen, he didn't seem to have thought that Tang Jing, who had been quite famous in the court for the past few years, would be so handsome.He knew that Tang Shen was young, but being young was one thing, being handsome was another.The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, made a bow, and said: "Your Majesty, Cui Xiao, Flying Cavalry Captain of Jinling Mansion, has met Master Tang."

Tang Shen: "Jinling Mansion Flying Cavalry Captain? It turned out to be Master Cui. I wonder if Master Cui came all the way to Shengjing to find me, but is there something wrong?"

Tang Shen has been to Jinling Mansion many times, but he has never seen this Flying Cavalry Captain.

Cui Xiao's eyes were filled with embarrassment, he struggled for a long time, he gritted his teeth and said: "Six years ago, the official had a few encounters with Mr. Liang, the governor of Gusu Prefecture, and helped Mr. Liang with some things. At that time, he heard that Mr. Liang A student of an adult."

Tang Shen opened his eyes wide, shocked.

Cui Xiao continued with a wry smile and said: "To be honest, I have some private matters. I really can't hide it anymore. I can only ask the adults. I hope the adults will save the villain's life for the sake of the old man. The villain will die in the future." If you are an ox or a horse, you will definitely repay your lord."